Tag Archives: kale

Looking for a sure-to-win way of getting more greens into your family’s diet? Well, try these kale chips! This crunchy and savoury snack conquers any mean craving for a potato chip. Guaranteed.

Our family has been making these kale chips for the past few years now. So addictive. Seriously. Just try stopping at one. And, just to brag a little, these chips have been kid-approved by all the little people who have ventured through our house. 🙂

You’ll find this recipe in Brendan Brazier’s book Whole Foods to Thrive: Nutrient-Dense, Plant-Based Recipes for Peak Health. Another kale favourite of mine from the same book is Brendan’s Quick Kale and Avocado Salad.

If you don’t own the book, you’ll find the recipe here. We make our chips in my Excalibur dehydrator, but the oven works just as well. The recipe is perfect. In my last batch (pictured above), I added a small handful of hemp seeds – just to kick this nutrient-dense snack up a notch. I also doubled the recipe.

Tried another kale chip recipe that you love? There really are some great recipes out there. Care to share your favourite? We have a wonderful supply of organic and local kale in our stores right now. I’m wanting to make me some more!

Baby, it’s cold outside!! A snowfall warning in effect, temperatures reaching minus 27 degrees Celsius, and a mighty northerly wind – this was our past weekend. Time to break out the parka and snowpants! 🙂

We warmed things up inside with a hearty bowl of Kris Carr’s Split Pea Soup. As per her recipe in “Crazy Sexy Kitchen” (click here for the recipe), we added a teaspoon of smoked paprika and some finely chopped kale. I added my own touch to this awesome soup by throwing in some chopped potato.

When you check out the recipe, you’ll notice that Kris Carr suggests adding some dulse seaweed. Unfortunately, I did not have dulse in my pantry and I wasn’t about to head to the grocery store with over 25 cm of freshly fallen snow on the roads. However, I do plan on adding some dulse the next time around for that extra boost of vitamins, minerals, and protein. The soup was still delicious without the dulse.

A bowl of this soup will warm you from head to toe. An ideal meal for a day full of skiing or snowshoeing. I am so looking forward to the upcoming holidays where I will have a little more time to enjoy the great outdoors. I believe that the best way to enjoy a good Canadian winter is to play in it. My only wish is that it will warm up, just a bit. In my opinion, it can’t get any colder. 😉

For my family , tofu frittatas have become that go-to food you pull out of the freezer when your day goes awry and you don’t have time to whip up something healthy. When my daughter was eating these en route to the skating rink this past week, I knew I had to post the recipe. So many of us struggle to find a healthy snack or meal for our kids when life just gets too busy. Tofu frittatas are that perfect “finger food” that will prevent you from making a quick stop at your local fast food restaurant.

I used Elisa Ray’s tofu frittata recipe from her plant-based and allergy-friendly blog, eating whole. I made one substitution (kale for spinach) and one addition (leek) from her original recipe in hopes that they would mimic the mini quiches I used to make quite frequently for the kids. My daughters said they taste just like those quiches and I am thrilled! No eggs, dairy, or gluten in this recipe! Add whatever veggies suit your fancy. Our favourite combination is kale and leek.

Instead of eggs, a block of firm tofu is the base of this recipe. I recommend that you use an organic tofu in all of your tofu recipes. Tofu is made from soybeans and right now in Canada and the U.S., nearly all non-organic soybeans are genetically modified. If you are at all confused about soy or tofu, I suggest you read this – one of my earlier posts. Hopefully, this will clarify things for you.

If you have small children, use your mini muffin pan and make mini frittatas. Actually, my ten year-old daughter has renamed these as tofu bites. They are a perfect size for small mouths. They are also a perfect size for when you are on the go and wish for a mess-free trip. 😉

Like this:

I finished day 3 of Natasha Kyssa’s “SimplyRaw Detox” with this beautiful and slightly spicy kale salad. By far, this has to be the best kale salad I have ever tasted.

The recipe is from Brendan Brazier’s “Whole Foods to Thrive”. Early this morning over a warm cup of Fire Water, I earmarked several pages of this book. It never really dawned on me until today of the large number of raw recipes Brendan actually has in this book. This kale salad recipe popped out as it contains a good pinch of cayenne pepper, just like my early morning Fire Water.

This salad was my dinner tonight, so I gave it a little extra by adding a handful of sunflower sprouts and a handful of raw pumpkin seeds.

QUICK KALE AND AVOCADO SALAD

1 head of kale, shredded

1 tomato, diced

1 avocado, chopped

handful of sprouts

handful of raw seeds or nuts

3 tablespoons flaxseed oil

2 green onions, finely diced

1 lemon, juiced

1 teaspoon sea salt

a good pinch of cayenne pepper

In a large bowl, using a fork, mix together the oil, lemon juice, salt and cayenne pepper. Toss in chopped avocado and chopped tomato and mix. Add kale and green onions and toss. You may want to use your clean hands to help “wilt” the kale and soften the avocado to a creamier texture. Once kale has been coated, toss in sprouts and seeds. Serve immediately.

For me, there is no other spice as warming and calming as curry. This hearty, nutritious soup is made with the fragrant spices of curry, coriander, and cumin and some quick cooking red lentils. I thought a good bowl was in order for us today when we woke to a crisp temperature of minus 14 degrees Celsius.

This recipe comes from an old copy of one of my Living Without magazines. As suggested in the recipe, I added some chopped organic green kale to my soup, but you can add other greens as well. Kale has become a staple food in our house. Like all staples, kale seems to vanish ever so fast in a busy home. When there is no kale to be had, broccoli is delicious, too.

WARMING RED LENTIL SOUP

2 tablespoons of coconut oil

1 onion, diced

1 celery stalk, diced

1 carrot, diced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup tomatoes, diced

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 cup red lentils, rinsed

1 cup (or more!) green kale*, chopped

2 cups vegetable broth

2 cups water

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

1/8 teaspoon cumin

In a large soup pot, melt the coconut oil over medium heat. Add the diced onions, celery, carrot, and salt and cook for about 5 minutes.

Add the diced tomatoes and curry powder and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the rinsed red lentils, kale, broth, water, coriander and cumin. Bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to medium low, cover the pot and cook for about 15 minutes.

You can serve the soup chunky or puree it in a blender. My clan prefers it chunky with a big piece of gluten-free bread lathered in coconut spread.

Kale is considered one of the world’s healthiest vegetable. It’s high in iron, calcium, vitamin C, vitamin A, anti-oxidants AND is considered an anti-inflammatory food. Adding kale to your soups (or smoothies!) is a wonderful way of introducing you and your family to this powerful veggie.